Matt Shin, Ph.D.
President, Pacific States University
B.A. Supply Chain Management ‘03, Broad College of Business

For Matt Shin, his Huffy bicycle became symbolic of something bigger than he could have imagined.

“Right after graduation, I decided to do something unforgettable. I picked up a used Huffy bike from a friend, bought a tent, sleeping bag, compass, headlamp and paper map from the sporting goods store at Meridian Mall and took off from the Sparty statue with the goal of biking to Los Angeles, where my first job was waiting,” Shin says.

A bicycle shop owner along the way convinced Shin not to attempt the desert stretch. After all, it was July. And he was riding a Huffy. Still, he averaged 100 miles a day and had made it to Las Vegas in a month.

“It was insane and beautiful, and very much the kind of thing I would’ve done at that age,” says Shin.

The ride was the final hurrah in a chapter of Shin’s life at MSU. As a Spartan, he came into his own through his studies, campus life and multiple study abroad experiences that taught him to embrace a life ‘in between.’

“I was involved in both the international and domestic student communities. I’ve always lived between cultures, and MSU let me embrace that,” says Shin, who graduated from an international school in South Korea and was a U.S. Green Card holder at the time.

Shin joined the MSU Judo Club, training throughout his four years, and still practices to this day. He also was a member of MACK, MSU’s Traditional Korean Percussion Team, where he traveled across Michigan playing for Korean adoptee groups, which he describes as some of the more meaningful work he did during his time at MSU.

Impressively, Shin completed three different study abroad programs at MSU— a summer in London exploring Art Nouveau and early modern design; a semester in Thailand meeting international business students; and an entire year studying in Hikone, Japan at Japan Center for Michigan Universities (JCMU).

“International programs shaped my time at MSU. Looking back, my MSU journey wasn’t just about a degree – it was a launchpad into the world,” Shin says.

Shin’s recent experience at the Global Spartan Reunion on Konkuk University’s campus in Seoul may be among the capstones to his Spartan journey.

“Surrounded by MSU alumni, faculty and leadership, hearing the MSU fight song playing, as an MSU alum and someone who served at KU, that moment was incredibly personal. To see that Spartan spirit alive and global—it was overwhelming in the best way.”